A Matter of Necessity
by AGDoren
Summary: Merlin reveals his magic to Arthur and Gwen with much more pressing matters at hand. Pairing: Gwen/Arthur,Merlin/Arthur friendship characters:Arthur,Gwen,Merlin, twins. Story is just a fluffy piece of fluff-fluff.


Before them a nightmare beast, monsters summoned by Morgana to end Camelot and its glorious future once and for all. Behind them, Merlin threw a glance over his shoulder as Guinevere let out a wail clutching her distended abdomen.

"We don't have time for this." Merlin didn't bother with an incantation, didn't bother to try and hide what he was about to do. He simply held up his hand and the creatures menacing them exploded into bits.

"That was magic!" Arthur declared the obvious and for once Merlin ignored him going straight to Guinevere.

"Lean on me your highness." The Queen put an arm over Merlin's shoulders and he steered her to the dusty bench farthest from the door.

"Thank you Merlin." Guinevere gave him a small smile.

"You're welcome."Merlin gave her his childlike grin and began scanning the room for anything that might be helpful in the Queen's delivery.

They had come to this abandoned castle after rescuing the Queen from a trap laid by Morgana. The Queen's labor was already well advanced when they'd found her and they'd only gotten as far as this castle before they'd had to stop. Guinevere cried out as another contraction griped her and both Arthur and Merlin gave her a worried look. He'd attended Gaius with a few deliveries since coming to Camelot and had attended many of them for horses and such back home, it wouldn't be long now.

"Magic is forbidden." Arthur strode to Guinevere's side while keeping a wary eye on Merlin. "Are you okay?" He questioned his wife in a much gentler tone.

"Yes."

Arthur turned his attention back to the wizard, "Magic? Merlin?"

"Magic just saved the life of your wife and unborn child; not to mention yours and mine."

"But- Have you always had magic?"

"Well as a matter fact-"

"-Shut-up!" Guinevere pushed herself up from the bench on which she had been sitting and turned on Arthur. "I'm having our baby in a creepy-ass, abandoned castle and Merlin who is our best friend jut saved our lives with magic. In about ten more minutes this baby will be born and I just can't care. "

"Sire," Merlin smirked and walked to the dusty, littered fireplace.

"What are you about to do?"

"More magic," Merlin replied with a twinkle in his eye.

With an incantation all the dust and grime swirled itself out the window, the dusty, crusty bed was suddenly as good as new, a cheery fire roared in the fire place. Linen's that had once been rotted and tattered danced out of the wardrobe and into place near the bed. A great pot floated into place over the fire already filled with water that would be heated just in time to wash the baby when it came. Arthur stared at him in shock until Guinevere let out another cry.

"Come on." The King helped his wife to the bed and Merlin joined them.

"It will be soon I can tell." Guinevere's brow was creased with worry. "Thank you Merlin for getting everything order and helping us back there."

He simply smiled at her.

"Have either of you delivered a baby before?" Arthur voice was grave with concern.

"I've attended a few deliveries." Guinevere volunteered.

"Lots of them," was Merlin's answer and they both looked at him in surprise.

"They were foals mainly, but also some cows and I've helped Gaius with a few deliveries."

"Horses and Cows," Arthur sounded annoyed.

"It's all right." Guinevere said and shrieked with another contraction. There was a gush of blood and other liquids onto the bed as the contraction passed.

"Is that normal?" The king was suddenly feeling very out of his depth.

"Yes!" Guinevere and Merlin said it in unison.

"I should probably check your progress highness." Merlin said.

"Of course," Guinevere began hiking up the skirts of her dress.

"Just a moment," Arthur leaned in between the two of them "what are you doing?"

"Helping."

"Uh Merlin I'm not having you look at Gwen's…"

"In that case Sire since there is only the three of us here, I suppose you'll have a look and make sure everything is proceeding normally."

Arthur hesitated.

"Go on just make sure you check the number of inches and make sure the baby is not breach."

Again Arthur hesitated.

"Idiots!" Guinevere shouted, "Arthur come hold my hand. Merlin check my progress."

"I'm going to leave the two of you to it." Arthur turned to find something else to do, _husbands were not supposed to be present for this sort of thing._ Guinevere grabbed his arm before he could take one step.

"I need you to stay." She said it with a firmness that he knew brooked no argument, but decided to try anyway.

"You don't need me here. The two of you have far more experience with this type of thing than I do. I should go check the hall, make sure there isn't anything dangerous about."

Merlin looked up from in between Gwen's legs "I put a ward on the room we're perfectly safe and any minute now you're going to be a dad."

"Very well, but husband's don't participate in this part."

Arthur hadn't really expected that a woman as fully pregnant as his wife could move as quickly as she did. But somehow without releasing her grip on his hand she grabbed hold of his shirt with her other hand and pulled him down so that they were at eye level.

"Arthur three days ago your crazy, half-sister had me kidnapped for some evil plot all her own, we are in a castle that has been abandoned for decades, there are no midwives for over a hundred miles around Camelot because your father accused them all of witchcraft and had them burnt even though midwives are not witches. None of my Ladies, nor my brother are here, just you and Merlin. And you, father of this child, were more than happy to be present at its conception and you're going to be happy to stay here and help me give birth to it."

"Bu-"

"-I need you, to stay here." She released her grip on his shirt then and let out a scream as Arthur saw the contraction ripple across her mid-section.

"Arthur sit behind her, hands on her shoulders, prop her up."

Guinevere shrieked with another contraction almost immediately behind that one.

"I see the head Gwen."

Arthur looked down at the infant in his arms. Merlin had conjured swaddling clothes as he'd conjured so much else for them this night. The infant was all white and red and mushy with the very dark brown eyes of his mother and lots of black hair. The latter seemed weird to Arthur all the infants he'd ever seen had had been bald. Guinevere had seemed to think it normal and speculated that the boy might get darker. Arthur leaned against the footboard of the bed where his exhausted wife lay sleeping and looked over at the second bundle Merlin was holding in his arms.

"Do you want to hold her?" Merlin grinned at him in his usual way.

"Yes," and Arthur smiled back.

Their daughter had been an unexpected and most pleasant surprise. She had lots of black hair like her brother and was red and white and mushy, but unlike her brother she had the pale blue eyes common to infants. Gingerly the two men switched infants and Arthur couldn't quite believe that he somehow managed to smile harder.

"This is amazing," Arthur said and looked up to see that his friend mirrored his own delight. "Guinevere is kind of amazing."

"Best Queen ever." Merlin said and somehow Arthur stifled a yawn.

"You look exhausted you should lie down." Merlin said.

"If someone should try and attack us-"

"-You'd be utterly useless at this point and I told you I warded the room."

"Against everything?"

"Most things, besides I'm going to summon some friends until we can get back on the road."

Arthur yawned again and decided Merlin was right. He sat on the bed beside Guinevere who stirred and took weary hold of their daughter before drifting back off to sleep. Merlin handed him the boy and another worrying thought entered his head.

"What if I roll over on him?"

"You won't. Trust me you won't, no one ever does."

Arthur settled down with his wife the twins between them. Before long he was asleep. Seeing his friends safe Merlin went to summon the dragons, he was too tired to keep watch himself. He was perhaps in the best mood he'd been in since the Dragon had first told him of his destiny.


End file.
